NFL: Patriots are into Stevan Ridley for long run

Sunday

Oct 7, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 7, 2012 at 12:26 AM

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked, near the end of the preseason, whether the days of the workhorse running back have come and gone.

Between specialization and teams trying to protect their investment, so to speak, more coaches have opted for spreading the carries among two or even three backs. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (229 in 2010) is the only Patriot to get at least 200 carries in the last five seasons.

“I’m for whatever helps us win,” Belichick said. “If it’s 500 quarterback sneaks, if that’s the best thing for us, then I’m all for it. If we win, if that’s the best thing we can do to win, then sign me up for it.”

The trend-altering start of sophomore Stevan Ridley would seem to support that.

Ridley twice has rushed for 100-plus yards and ranks ninth in the NFL with 339 yards. He has had games with 21, 18 and 22 carries for a total of 74. Only five backs have more.

Ridley is projected to finish the 16-game season with 296 carries and 1,356 yards. Those numbers would rank sixth and fourth, respectively, in franchise history.

They’re also inexorably linked to one another, a Catch-22 for No. 22.

“Production,” Belichick responded when asked what it would take for a player to get 300 totes. “If he’s productive, I think you’d want to give him a chance.”

So far, so good for Ridley.

While some folks — that would be you, ESPN the Magazine — predicted the Packers would go 16-0, it took all of one game to submarine that idea.

There are two undefeated teams left as of this morning, those being the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. The ’72 Miami Dolphins can start chilling the champagne.

But what are the odds the 2008 Detroit Lions, the only NFL team to go 0-16, will have some company by the end of the season? Um, not bad.

The two remaining candidates are the New Orleans Saints, who aren’t a legitimate entrant despite their ridiculously brutal schedule, and the Cleveland Browns, who should be taken seriously.

They’re 0-4 and counting heading into today’s game against the Giants in New York.

Of their 12 remaining games, the Browns might be favored in two. Best chances for a win — or wins, if you’re optimistic — are during a trip to Indianapolis in late October and when the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins visit Cleveland on successive Sundays in mid-December.

The Browns have lost 10 straight and 13 of 14 dating to last year. The league record is held by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who debuted in 1976 and dropped the first 26 games in franchise history.

The Browns, who started the season with the fourth-youngest roster in the league, have some decent talent, especially stud running back Trent Richardson. But they’re a couple of years away from contending for a playoff berth, something they last secured in 2002.

In the meantime, the goal is to avoid the kind of ignominy experienced in Detroit just four years ago.

Tom Brady has a supermodel wife, three Super Bowl rings, and a supersized mansion in California. He’s 35 years old and in his 13th season in the NFL, a league whose average age and career length are 27 and 3.5, respectively.

Put it all together and you wonder why Brady continues to do what he does — that being to live the life of a monk for about half the year and then emerge once a week and try to keep his head, shoulders, knees and other body parts from being pulverized.

He was asked that question the other day. The answer was so simple it was surprising.

“To play football,” Brady said without hesitating. “It’s a great sport. I love coming to work every day. I love the challenge that the weeks bring — the mental challenge, the physical challenge. I love the training. I love being around my teammates.”

Then the GQ/QB went all Average Joe, bringing up a reason that keeps plenty of people working when they don’t need the money.

“There’s just not much else out there other than my family,” Brady said. “I think it’s like the abyss. There’s nothing else. It’s the edge of the cliff.”

Brady has gone on record numerous times as saying he wants to play until he’s at least 40, meaning there’s another five years to go. For his fans in New England, that’s just super.

The St. Louis Rams are 3-2, which is one more win than they posted all of last season. They’ve beaten the Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and Cardinals (combined 8-5) and were competitive in losses to the Lions and Chicago Bears, who are tied for the NFC North lead.

The talk is of how the Rams are playing better under coach Jeff Fisher, who replaced the Grafton-raised Steve Spagnuolo after the team went 10-36 the last three years. But the fact Fisher has his better players playing might be more accurate.

According to Football Outsiders, the Rams led the league last season with 110 adjusted games lost to injury. Only one team in the past 10 seasons has surpassed that total. (In brief, the stat is weighted toward injuries to starters and key reserves.)

The Rams were thinner than spaghetti on offense to start with, and Thursday they saw leading receiver Danny Amendola suffer a shoulder injury that could keep him out for two months. Amendola missed 15 games last year with a broken arm, depriving quarterback Sam Bradford of his by-far-favorite target.

Bradford is dealing with a bum ankle, an injury that cost him six games last year. It’ll be interesting how much better the Rams play going forward if their better players once again miss substantial time.

Some quick hits and (hopefully) useful numbers with regard to this week’s games: The Cincinnati Bengals have averaged 33 points in their last three games, all wins. The Dolphins have averaged 25 points in their last three games, going 1-2 with both losses in overtime. … Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch leads the NFL with 423 rushing yards and has gained 85-plus yards in 12 of his past 13 games. He’s facing a Carolina defense that ranks 25th against the run, allowing an average of 134.8 yards. … The Baltimore Ravens, who last played 10 days ago, are tied for sixth in the league with a plus-4 turnover differential. The Chiefs, who are 0-2 at home with the losses by 16 and 17 points, are last at minus-13, thanks to a league-high 15 giveaways. … The New York Jets have scored one offensive touchdown in their last 34 possessions and quarterback Mark Sanchez’s 49.2 completion percentage ranks last in the league. The good news is the Jets are 5-0 all-time versus the Texans, who are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. … Teams on the bye: Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Tampa Bay. And how those coming off it have historically fared: Indianapolis (13-10, .565), Pittsburgh (14-9, .609).

Some random thoughts in no particular order:

•The Saints are 0-4, the losses coming by 8, 7, 3 and 1 point. The Eagles are 3-1, the wins coming by 1, 1 and 2 points. That’s the fine line between success and failure in the NFL.

•Doubt the Jets are going to miss Santonio Holmes. One, he’s a knucklehead. Two, Sanchez is throwing knuckleballs, so it doesn’t matter who’s on the receiving end.

•Got a feeling if rookie safety Tavon Wilson starts today in place of the injured Steve Gregory, he might not be leaving the lineup for a while. The rookie from Illinois has great instincts, sound technique, and appears to be a fast learner.

•Congratulations to Northbridge High football coach Ken LaChapelle on achieving his 300th career victory. The milestone is a testament to an innovative coach, a talented and tight-knit staff, and a community that has an affinity for football unlike any in Central Mass.

•My apologies to Tonya Spagnuolo of Grafton, who was mentioned in last week’s column. The distance she covered in a triathlon last month in Ohio was 140.9 miles. Despite two flat tires, she finished second in her age group and 10th among all women in her ironman debut.

Material used in this report was collected from personal interviews, wire services, Web sites, and league and team sources. Rich Garven can be reached by e-mail at rich.garven@verizon.net or rgarven@telegram.com.

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